Glass Cannon

Glass Cannon

Glass Cannon is the most offensive of all wizard passives and lives up to its name: you flatly deal considerably more damage, but pay for it with reduced armor and lower resistances. The trade is risky, because every hit lands harder on you as a result.

The passive pays off mainly in builds that rely on distance and avoidance rather than soaking damage. If you melt enemies from a safe range, freeze them or stay in constant motion, you often never get into the position of feeling the missing defense. Paired with strong shield sources or crowd control, the risk can be cushioned further. If, however, you frequently stand in the thick of it or your defense is already thin, Glass Cannon can drag you to ruin fast. For careful players it is a simple, very effective damage multiplier.

The trade in numbers

Glass Cannon gives you 15% more damage on everything you deal and takes away 10% Armor and 10% resistances in return. The penalty therefore hits both defensive stats at once – against physical hits as well as elemental damage. The damage bonus comes with no condition at all.

The passive unlocks as early as level 16. While levelling, as long as enemies rarely threaten you seriously, the trade is usually harmless; as difficulty rises, you should reassess it.

Why Hydra, Familiar and Black Hole fit

The typical partners show how to absorb the risk:

• Hydra and Familiar deal damage on their own while you keep your distance.
• Black Hole and Blizzard hold enemies in one place and slow them down, so they reach you less often.
• Teleport gets you out of situations where the missing defence would start to hurt.

How to tell whether the passive pays off

If you keep dying to single hits, the defensive penalty is too expensive – put a protective passive in the slot instead. If you reliably keep enemies at range, the damage bonus pays off in every fight. Storm Armor frequently appears alongside it.

by eRnstl